Missing Pieces
by Madcap Minstrel
Summary: Two years have passed since Midgar was destroyed and Sephiroth disappeared into the Lifestream. Aeris is certain he is still alive, and has devoted most of her spare time to figuring out how to find him. Little does she know that Professor Hojo prepared for this scenario years ago, and that there may be a steep price in bringing her beloved husband back.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Near the mining country, not far from the city of Nibelheim, lies a large lake, surrounded by mountains. The large body of water has only been accessible to those with the right kind of chocobo, or flight vehicles.

Hardcore campers and thrill-seekers occasionally travel to the lake; whether because of the challenge, or because of the urban legends of a ghost haunting the area. Some thirty years ago, travelers began reporting sightings of a woman among the crystals growing naturally in a small cave at the base of the mountains.

For the most part, however, the cave remained undisturbed, until one otherwise ordinary night…

* * *

"How is it that he didn't know about this?"

"Watch where you're going."

"I _am!_ You didn't answer my question, though."

"How should I know?"

"What about you?"

"He didn't know because he didn't have her diary. I took it from that old basement after I broke in. I don't know why people didn't simply clear it out and turn it into more rooms, but that makes us all the more lucky,"

"You think she's here?"

"Don't you feel it? He would have felt it too had he ever traveled here. I'm sure of it."

Three glowing pairs of eyes came to rest upon a large cocoon-like crystal. Encased inside was a woman who seemed to be in a deep sleep.

"It's time to finally wake Mother up…"


	2. Chapter 1: Messages

Chapter 1: Messages

Aeris Crescent-Valentine sighed as she looked at the empty crib. Once again, her sixteen-month-old daughter had managed to escape it again. There was no denying that little Remi was a very clever baby. Unfortunately, it was often a pain in the neck for Aeris to deal with, especially first thing in the morning.

She looked around the bedroom. No sign of here there. She then went down the hallway and checked the bathroom. Not there either, she continued into the living room, and stopped, trying to keep from laughing out loud at what she saw:

A small purple blanket lay in the middle of the room, covering a sitting baby-sized figure. Even more, two small feet were sticking out.

Aeris decided to play along:

"Oh, I wonder where my little Remi could be?" she said loudly, "I looked in her bedroom, but she wasn't there! I can't find her at all!"

A tiny giggle escaped from the blanket, but Aeris pretended not to hear it.

"I see her favorite blankie on the floor, but not little Remielle! Oh well…I suppose I'll just take the blankie and put it in the laundry…"

She scooped up Remi underneath the blanket, who began squealing loudly.

"Oh my goodness!" Aeris exclaimed as she pulled the blanket off, "There you are! What did you do that for? Why does little Remi like to play tricks on Mommy, hmm?"

She poked her daughter's belly a couple of times, eliciting a loud giggle from her. She then ruffled her daughter's platinum-silver hair.

One of the doors opened down the hall, and four-year-olds Keter and Rakael ran out, both giggling.

"Is it breakfast time?" Keter asked hopefully.

"Almost," Aeris answered.

"Aerith, Keter snores!" Rakael lisped.

"Do not!" Keter argued.

"Do too!"

"Da-ta-ta-ta-tah!" Remi imitated her brother and aunt arguing.

"Okay!" Aeris interrupted, "Let's get breakfast ready! I'm thinking oatmeal?"

"Yay!" Rakael cheered. Keter made a face.

Aeris didn't miss the sour look on her son's face. "Now, Keter, Rockie is our guest, and oatmeal is her favorite thing to eat for breakfast. Don't you want to be a good host?"

"Blech!" Keter ran into the kitchen.

"Ha-ha, Keter!" Rakael said as she ran after her nephew.

Aeris smiled as she watched her little sister chasing Keter into the living room. She was glad that they were able to continue being friends after all. She had honestly thought that her mother would never set foot on Gaia again.

However, when Aeris' parents learned that Sephiroth was gone, Ifalna immediately put aside her intense fears of her home world, and rushed back with the rest of her family. Together, her parents looked after their daughter throughout her second pregnancy. When Remielle Lilith Crescent-Valentine was born, it seemed to fill the empty space just a bit.

Ifalna was finally able to let go of her fears of persecution, and now the Gast family lived down the hall from Aeris and her children.

There was a knock at the front door. Aeris went to open it.

"Oh, hi Elmyra!" she greeted her stepmother-in-law, "Come on in,"

"I thought you might need some assistance with the children seeing as you have an extra little 'monster' to tend to this morning,"

"Oh, thanks…" Aeris sighed, "You know my kids and my kid sister all too well,"

"You're too nice sometimes," Elmyra kidded her, "Keter begs for a sleepover and you give in right away,"

"Well, my parents sure appreciated it as well," Aeris said as she led Elmyra into the kitchen. She placed Remi into her hi-chair and began gathering the ingredients for the oatmeal. "They also appreciate it when you offer to babysit, as do I."

"It's good for Vincent," said Elmyra, "I know he's especially grateful that Remi was born. She looks so much like her father,"

"She does," Aeris sighed as she placed a large pot on the stove, "Would you like some oatmeal too? I've got a kettle of tea as well."

"I'd love some tea, thanks. How are you doing?"

"Same as always," Aeris said as she poured the water in and turned the burner on, "Busy with the kids, busy with my research,"

"Aeris…"

The young mage braced herself, knowing from Elmyra's tone what was likely to come next.

"It's been two years. Do you think anyone could hold on like that? In the Lifestream of all places?"

"If anyone can, it's Sephiroth," Aeris said stubbornly, "I'm sure he would know I'm doing the best I can with my limited knowledge. I've been meditating for answers from the Planet every day. Sometimes I get nothing, but everything else I've gleaned, I've written down as soon as I could. My notes on that, in addition to all the unorthodox spells I've learned from the guild, well, it's pretty comprehensive,"

"I just hope you're not-,"

"It's not a wild goose chase," Aeris butted in, "I know some people think it is, but I'm used to people thinking I'm crazy. I learned a long time ago not to let it bother me,"

"Is it ready yet?" Rakael called from the TV room.

"No, but we have a guest!" Aeris called, "Come say hello!"

"Nana!" Keter exclaimed as he came into the kitchen. He ran over to his step-grandmother and threw his arms around her waist.

"Hello, Keter!" Elmyra said warmly as she hugged him back.

"Hi, Auntie 'Myra," Rakael said shyly.

"Hello, Rakael," Elmyra greeted her with a smile.

"Where's Grampa?" Keter asked.

"Still sleeping, that lazy old man," Elmyra told him.

"When's he gonna take me fishing again?" Keter asked.

"You'll have to ask him that," said Elmyra, "You know he'll give in if you ask him enough times,"

"We're watching cartoons," Keter grabbed Elmyra's hand and began pulling her toward the TV room, "Come and watch with us!"

"Well, all right," Elmyra laughed as she allowed him to drag her away.

Aeris silently thanked her son and kid sister for distracting Elmyra. The only people who had complete faith in Aeris' plan to find Sephiroth were her own mother, and family friend Reidmar Steiger, who had been the first Cetra Aeris had ever met aside from her own mother.

Reidmar and his wife Medea had been instrumental in stopping Meteorfall from taking place. While Medea had helped Sephiroth discover the truth about his people, the Seraphim; Reidmar had not only educated Aeris about her own race, but had taken care of her when she became seriously ill after summoning Holy.

The Cetra/Seraph inter-species couple had originally settled in Mideel after the world had been saved from Meteor. However, after the destruction of Midgar two years earlier, they moved their growing family up north to help the survivors, who all seemed to relocate to areas surrounding the fallen city. The settlement came to be known, appropriately, as "Edge". Now they also lived in Aeris' apartment building, as well as Elmyra and Vincent Valentine.

Midgar was only collateral damage compared to what would have happened if the Planet hadn't summoned a large vacuum against the already weakened summon beast known as Zirconiade. The summon that if unhindered, would have wiped all life off of the world's surface, to start anew. However, restarting life from the beginning was not the Planet's will, and after Avalanche had battled the giant monster and worn it down, It used the vacuum to suck the already weakened beast back into Its core, where it was absorbed back into the Lifestream.

However, Sephiroth and Cloud ended up being sucked in along with Zirconiade. In a frenzied panic, Aeris leaped into the vacuum of her own accord. While she and Cloud had made it out of the Lifestream, Sephiroth never returned.

Slowly, the Planet began to give her the story. Sephiroth had received a serious wound when Zirconiade had blasted him before it expired. The Planet doubted Sephiroth would make it with such an injury, combined with the excess mako toxicity, and thus, kept him inside the Lifestream. Indeed, Cloud had spent weeks recovering from mako poisoning after he and Aeris were taken to the hospital in Mideel, where they had surfaced. Aeris, due to her Cetra blood, suffered no ill effects.

_So much bloodshed,_ Aeris thought sadly, _so much heartache…all because one man had completely lost faith in humanity and wanted to erase it from existence, in a horribly misguided attempt to protect a world he loved as much as I do…_

She then jumped as the smoke alarm came on. While she was reflecting on the past two years, the oatmeal had boiled over and fell on top of the hot burners, causing smoke that Aeris hadn't even noticed.

"What's the matter?" Elmyra appeared in the kitchen looking alarmed.

"Oh- just- just a minor accident!" Aeris stammered as she moved the pot off of the burner and turned it off. She grabbed a pot-holder and began furiously fanning the smoke away from the smoke detector.

Keter and Rakael both appeared, their hands tightly covering their ears.

"FIRE!" Rakael panicked.

Remi began to scream.

"No, no fire!" Aeris shouted before the loud beeping finally ceased, "Just a little smoke, and guess what? Breakfast is ready!"

Remi continued to wail.

"Oh, I know, that was too loud, huh?" Aeris said sympathetically as she picked up her daughter and consoled her.

"Why don't I take it from here?" Elmyra suggested, "And if you kids sit down, I'll go find the jams for you to put in your oatmeal. Does that sound good?"

"Dumbapple jelly!" Keter requested.

"Dumbapple jelly what?" Elmyra prompted him.

"And toast!" Keter answered obliviously.

"I think Nana wants the magic word, Keter," Aeris said to him as she poured two cups of tea while still holding Remi. She set the kettle down and picked up a cup, handing it to Elmyra, who nodded in thanks.

Keter stared blankly before he realized what they meant.

"Pleeeeeeeaaaaaase?" he finished.

"Very good," Aeris praised him as she set the now calm Remi in her hi-chair and headed toward the living room.

"Aerith where you going?" Rakael asked.

"Oh, no oatmeal for me," Aeris said with a smile as she took her cup, "Just some tea after I meditate,"

"Huh?" Rakael didn't understand.

"I'm going into the living room to speak to the Planet," Aeris explained, "And later, I'll take you all to the glade so you can speak to It too,"

"We're going to the glade!" Rakael cheered.

"Yay!" Keter shouted.

"All right, you two…" Aeris could hear Elmyra saying as she left the kitchen.

* * *

Summoning.

That was the key word. The Planet had also assured her that she had the power. It wasn't until a few days ago that Aeris began to guess that the White Materia may have the answer. When she had asked the Planet if she was right, it burst into a happy song. It hadn't responded to her since.

She was still trying to beseech it, but she found nothing but silence. Not wanting to give up, she continued to meditate.

_Aeris…please hurry…I may have made a mistake…_

Her eyes shot wide open as she sprang to her feet. That wasn't the Planet that had been speaking to her just now.

"Sephy…?" she whispered incredulously.

* * *

"Contact…" Sephiroth whispered triumphantly.

"Impressive…" said the woman formerly known as "Jenova".

It was hard for Sephiroth to acknowledge the passage of time from within the Lifestream. It was difficult enough to keep up a semblance of his old form. Still, to look down and see his "body" comforted him while he was stuck here.

It clearly comforted Resara Delrayo to keep up the same charade. She no longer resembled the blue-skinned apparition known as Jenova. She stood clothed in her old uniform(save for her boots), and her skin was the same tone as Sephiroth's. One would never know from looking at her that she was the madwoman who had summoned Meteor, in an attempt to absorb the resulting spirit energy from the inevitable collision.

Only Professor Hojo remained invisible. After initially revealing himself to Sephiroth, the deceased mad scientist disappeared from sight, content to remain a disembodied voice.

"Color me impressed as well," said Hojo, "But not for the same reasons. There are others you should be making contact with. Why not that young failure of an experiment Fuhito worked on? It's a pity that man merged with the energy here immediately after dying. There's so much I would have loved to discuss with him,"

Sephiroth ignored his step-father, as he constantly did now that he was stuck with him.

"Or how about those golems you managed to send to the surface?" Hojo continued, "You caused enough of a commotion down here when you created them. You might as well try,"

"I'd hate to say it," Resara remarked, "but he's probably right. Why not try it?"

"Some other time," Sephiroth muttered, "Reaching Aeris took quite a bit out of me. I should rest a bit,"

"What did you mean when you said you might have made a mistake?" the former space explorer asked.

"Creating those three beings might have been unnecessary," Sephiroth explained, "I'm not out trying to create things from the Lifestream as if I were some kind of god,"

"You very well could if you wanted to," said Hojo.

"I have no such desire," Sephiroth said acidly.

"You would have if you'd been infected with Id's Death like I was," said Resara, "Be thankful there's a way to prevent it for our people now, as you previously told me.

"Still, I think the madman here has a point. It may take a long time to get you out if you don't lend your wife a hand,"

"Why are you so eager to help your own murderer?" Sephiroth asked.

Resara laughed. "Murderer? My friend, you gave me peace. Nothing less. Those times where you feared you were losing your mind? Take that feeling, and multiply it by a thousand. You released me. You also tried to return me to my old home. And you would have succeeded, if I had not used the Black Materia. Just as your wife's soul is bound to this planet by the White Materia, mine is bound as well. I suppose some far-off day, when the Planet calls her home, I'll be able to apologize to her face. I'd like nothing more than to do so,"

"This is a nightmare…" Hojo lamented, "The greatest scientific discovery, and experiment…and they're both sentimental fools regarding the last Cetra's spawn,"

"Why don't you shut up?" Jenova snapped, "I've no interest in listening to the man who violated me,"

"I'm not that perverted, my dear Jenova. Don't flatter yourself,"

The Seraph woman's eyes narrowed. "My name is _Resara_, you stupid idiot. And no, you didn't rape me or anything, but what you did with my cells _is_ a violation as far as I'm concerned. Thank the goddess there were people who cared enough about my…" she stared curiously at Sephiroth, "…well, I don't think of you as a son, no offense. Clone? Brother? Well, whatever. At least there were people to help you escape such a life. That's a relief,"

"I don't recall hearing you complain," Hojo pointed out smarmily.

"If you had been one of my kin, you'd have heard my screams from miles away," the Seraph woman hissed at him.

"Those experiments were vital," said Hojo, "Depending on how much time has passed, it may very well be time for the fail-safe to kick in. Sephiroth, you're not going to be staying here much longer,"

"I know," the swordsman replied, "I was able to summon as much spirit energy as I could to see what she was thinking. She can use the White Materia to summon me. It won't be long until she figures out how to retrieve me. I have complete confidence in her,"

"You don't need Iris to save you from your predicament," said Hojo.

"Her name is _Aeris_," Sephiroth corrected him, "You remembered well enough the first time you tried to get your hands on her. Anyway, I trust her more than any 'plan' you've cooked up…"

"You've already taken the first steps," Hojo pointed out, "You used the abundant spirit energy here to send physical manifestations topside. You can't just undo them,"

"Didn't you hear the horrible sounds when that happened?" Sephiroth argued, "Clearly, my actions hurt the Planet,"

"The oh-so-wonderful 'Planet' imprisoned you here," Hojo argued back, "If it were me, I could care less,"

"You already couldn't care less," Resara interjected, "Anyway, what's done is done. They've already retrieved the woman in the cave, like they planned to. I can feel the link, Sephiroth. You should try it too,"

"I'm still tired," Sephiroth told her, "I'll check on them later. They're a part of me. What's the worst that could happen?"

* * *

Cloud Strife rode his motorcycle aimlessly around the wastelands surrounding Midgar. He'd left before anyone had woken up, and had been content to ride around for a few hours. However, he was almost out of gas now, so he was finally heading back toward Edge. Still, he couldn't help but shake the feeling that he wasn't alone…


End file.
